The Longhorns football team had not yet left for their game against LSU when the FAA grounded flights nationwide on Friday, November 13, the New York Times reported. It is unclear as of the time of this article’s publication if the travel delay will lead to delaying their game against LSU that is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. tomorrow.
The New York Times reported that many football teams had already arrived for their Saturday games before the nationwide stop. But the University of Texas was among the teams that had not yet left, they reported, citing sources who spoke on the condition of anonymity.
Peter Thamel of ESPN also reported on X that the Longhorns are among the teams with flights in limbo at this time because their flight had not yet taken off.
The Longhorns Wire reported that the team had returned to the UT campus for a meal and the plane remained on standby.
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We will update this story as there is more information.
Nearly 7,000 Flights Have Been Canceled or Delayed
Nearly 7,000 flights have been delayed or canceled so far after all flights nationwide were grounded for only the second time since the September 11, 2001 attacks, Reuters reported.
On X, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy wrote: “The FAA issued a nationwide ground stop for all U.S. airports following a communication issue impacting all Air Route Traffic Control Centers. FAA technicians are investigating the issue. We will provide immediate updates as we have them.”
It’s not clear when the ground stop will be lifted. An aviation analyst, Robert Mann, told Reuters: “If the ground stop continues through the evening, it likely will take the weekend to resolve the disruptions to airlines’ networks.”
In a Reddit thread about the Longhorns’ delay, fans debated whether there would still be time to take a bus and arrive at the game.
“Pretty sure any team who hasn’t already left, are stuck,” wrote one commenter.
Another fan replied, “It is a drivable distance in what time is left. I imagine there are some big 10 or ACC matchups that couldn’t be driven in time.”
A third fan wrote: “If you were to get a bus to go RIGHT NOW you probably don’t make it til 2 am or so… You’re better off just sending everyone home, letting them sleep and going tomorrow morning.”
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Longhorns Face Possible LSU Game Delay After Flight Grounded by FAA